Favorite Comic Book Characters

Ahoy all. Time to try and put another topic out for people to discuss! Whether you know them from a movie, a cartoon show, or from the actual comic books, everyone is familiar with at least some comic book characters. So, who are your favorite comic book characters and why?

My comic series of choice are the X-titles (X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, lots of X's), which have one of the largest overall casts I can think of in comics, so it's hard for me to narrow down my favorites. Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde is probably my favorite from the classic X-Men. I'm always a big fan of people who do more with less, and while her phasing power is cool, she doesn't have the power behind her that a lot of the X-Men have. Instead, she relies on her brains and her wide range of skills to get her through.

Speaking of people without lots of fancy powers, Nick Fury has definitely become one of my overall favorite comic book heroes. He is really about as close to a normal guy as you can get, having some little gadgets and tricks (and at several points, a fleet of SHIELD heli-carriers), but he still gets things done. He knows everything about everyone, knows what they can do for him, and knows how to push their buttons and manipulate them into doing what he wants done. He is pretty much the ultimate spy and puppet master, the master of information, and puts a completely different spin on the phrase 'knowledge is power.'